Songs of Yore completes 16 years

It is customary to add ‘sweet’ before 16. That is how the hosts of the social game Tambola/Housie describe this number in their sing-song style. How sweet was SOY’s 16th year, or did it simply clock another year? The judgement rests with the readers, for me it was a pleasant experience.

As the readers are now aware, the blog was born on 7th June, therefore, its anniversary spans two calendar years. However, for some years, I have been dedicating the year to a music personality – generally from beginning of the calendar year to its end. 2025 happened to be celebrated as the year of RD Burman. I find there has been a dozen articles on him, some contributed by the guest authors, Ashok M Vaishnav and Dr Rajesh Deshpande. For SOY, which had a pronounced bias towards golden and vintage era music, this did seem to be an overkill. But there was also a revelation that RD Burman had a lot of fans, even among the lovers of old melody.

Concurrently, some Rafi fans could not have enough of him. Though his centenary ended in the year 2024, some spill-over articles continued in 2025 too. The year also saw another series of articles on OP Nayyar, helmed by the guest author Ravindra Kelkar, concluding on OP Nayyar’s centenary on 16 January 2026.

I must say doing three series of tributes gave me a great deal of satisfaction. I have to thank all the guest authors who embellished the blog by their articles, namely Subodh Agrawal, Ashok Vaishnav, Hans Jakhar, Dr Rajesh Deshpande and Ravindra Kelkar. I was especially pleased about my friend Subodh, whom I was able to pull out of hibernation. There was a time when he was a prolific writer.

I find I have also turned a book reviewer – I have been writing a couple of reviews every year. I started 2026 too with the review of Manek Premchand’s “Soulfully Yours: Ravi”

It is not possible that in a blog’s existence of 16 years, plagiarism and inspiration would not come in for discussion. The series on RD Burman brought this into intensive discussion again. That was when a reader included a link of 25 songs said to be inspired/adapted from some foreign tunes and also from our neighbouring country. The most striking instance of a note-by-note copy was Kabhi bekasi ne mara, kabhi bebasi ne mara (Alag Alag, 1985). ‘Bekasi’ and ‘Bebasi’ mean the same thing – ‘helplessness’. The absence of contrast created no end of confusion. Its original from Pakistani film Meharbani (1982) had no such problem – Kabhi khwahishon ne loota, kabhi bebasi ne mara.

I do get to hear many songs in the year off SOY which mesmerise me. One song which was doing the rounds on WhatsApp was by a girl, Supriya, from Samastipur. It seems she had sung it for the TV show Indian Idol. She was not selected there and was very sore about it. The song was Piya tose naina laage re from Guide. I find that video has been removed by the YT for “violating YouTube terms of service”. There are some busybodies who get pleasure in getting some video yanked off the YT.

I was able to give her a call and console her that this was not the end of the road for her. Music was much more than Indian Idol. I thought she understood it. She had enrolled in Masters in Music, and sent me her another recording of Itna na mujhse tu pyar badha. Coming from Bihar, I can say a lot about Samastipur, but suffice it to say that the current wonder-boy of Indian Cricket, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, is from Samastipur.

Itna na mujhse tu pyar badha by Supriya from Samastipur

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/HZAgSDKow0I

This reminded me of one Soumyadeep Sikdar Murshidabadi whose name I wanted to highlight similarly a few years ago. I had immensely liked his Chadariya jheeni re jheeni; in fact, I found it the best among all the versions I had heard so far. That is saying a lot. Alas, though I was able to establish contact with him, he went incommunicado, and that particular video was yanked off the YT. After hesitating for some years, I am posting another verse of Kabir, Hoshiyar rahna re nagar mein chor aavega, which is available on YT. I like it a lot.

Soumyadeep Murshidabadi sings Hoshiyar rahna re nagar mein chor aavega

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4z8XX8H9Sw&list=RDG4z8XX8H9Sw&start_radio=1

Lo ji suno tumse kahte hain, ab tum bin chain nahn aaye by Mukesh and Surinder Kaur from Sunahre Din (1949), lyrics DN Madhok, music Gyan Dutt

We have so thoroughly dredged 1949 songs that we think we know all the songs. But when a friend introduced this song, I was amazed where this song was hidden.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aH_1B6yfvpM&list=RDaH_1B6yfvpM&start_radio=1

Wo aaye hain dil ko karar aa gaya hai by Sulochana Kadam from Malika Salomi (1953), lyrics Farooq Qaiser, music Krishna Dayal

But that was Vintage Era, you would say. How about 1950s when a hundred flowers bloomed and we know all the songs of Golden Era. But when the friend introduced me to this song I was floored. What kind of film must be Malika Saloni to carry a name like this? Sulochana Kadam, we have heard in several landmark songs, such as Chori chori aag si dil mein lagakar chal diye, hum tadapate rah gaye wo muskura ke chal diye. In Wo aaye hain, I can’t differentiate her voice with Lata Mangeshkar. Listen to this gorgeous song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_8QJuhhMDg&list=RDy_8QJuhhMDg&start_radio=1

Jaddanbai sings

We all know Jaddanbai (1892-1949) as the mother of Nargis, and one of the earliest lady music composers of our films, pre-dating Saraswati Devi. Some of us were also familiar with her songs. Now thanks to S Gopalakrishnan I get the additional information that she was a disciple of Shrimat Ganpat Rao, Ustad Moujuddin Khan, Ustad Chaddu Khan, Ustad Laab Khan and Ustad Barkat Ali Khan and sang this ‘Deva Deva Satsang‘ in Raag Shankara. Moujuddin was the most respected Thumri singer in his time. This description made me look at Jaddanbai with great respect.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eixoZmNyeNw

AR Rahman in an unnecessary controversy again

High and lows in an artiste’s career is a normal phenomenon. One day AR Rahman was on the top of the world. It seems that for the last eight years or so he is not getting that many offers. He chose to relate it to his religion, that the powers that be have perhaps turned communal and Bollywood is discriminating against him. Within 24 hours he discovered that he was a proud Indian and the country has given him too much. This was strange, and totally uncalled for. We liked him for his music; if his career was facing a low, that was people’s choice. In my last Anniversary post, AR Rahman figured prominently for two plagiarism charges. One related to the song Veera veera veera veera from the film PS-2. Ustad Waseefuddin Dagar filed a case alleging that it was plagiarised from his family heirloom Shiv Stuti in Raag Adana. Delhi High Court agreed with Dagar and directed Rahman to make an interim payment of ₹2 crores to him. He had not yet overcome another charge by Kazi Nazrul Islam family that AR Rahman had mauled the Kazi’s tune of Karar oui lauho kapat for the film Pippa based on Bangladesh liberation. Many on SOY seemed to agree with both the plagiarism charges. Someone has rightly said, “Those living in glass-houses..”. But US gave him a lot of honour during the evening cultural programme for visiting Secretary of State, when the US Ambassador to India, announced with flourish, now a special artist would entertain the guests. And AR Rahman came out from behind the curtain like a rockstar, singing Jai ho etc

Acknowledgements and Disclaimer
The song links have been given from the YouTube only for the listening pleasure of music lovers. This blog has no commercial interest, and makes no claims or suggests, either directly, or indirectly, any copyright over these songs which vests with respective copyright holders.

46 comments…read them below or add one

  1. Congratulations, AKji!
    It is a joy to join you in celebrating the 16th anniversary of Songs of Yore. The blog has grown into a vast, limitless ocean of musical discovery and wonderfully deep discussions. Over the past decade and a half, you have made it an indispensable part of many lives through your extensively researched posts and the incredibly engaging community you’ve fostered. Yet, I believe SoY is still young and has so much to offer, especially with more of your out-of-the-box write-ups. Wishing the blog a smooth transition into young adulthood, sustained by the same youthful spirit. Cheers!

  3. AKji,
    Heartiest Congratulations on completing 16 glorious years of SoY, a landmark achievement.
    A nice recap of last year, indeed an enjoyable sweet sixteen, full of interesting posts – the tributes series, book reviews, new, out-of-the-box and even current topics like the War. You had touched upon the AR Rahman controversy in the last anniversary post.
    This achievement is a testimony to your persistence, dedication and ability to come up with new stimulating posts, enthralling and educating the readers.
    Last year, I was privileged to join the august team of SoY Guest Authors and I am thankful to you for the opportunity.
    May this musical journey continue with new themes, new tributes, new reviews!!

    Here’s the Sixteen going on Seventeen song from the Sound Of Music.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwK_WOXjfc0&list=RDhwK_WOXjfc0

    And in Hindi cinema, Kajol sang I am sixteen going on seventeen in a forgettable action movie of the 90s – Hulchul

  4. Dr Deshpande,
    Thanks a lot for your kind words. I am grateful to you for your help in RD Burman series. I am 16 going on 17 from Sound of Music we all know but I have to look out for Kajol songs.

  5. Congratulations on yet another milestone, AK! I echo the sentiments and thoughts expressed by Venkataramanji above. Best wishes!

  8. Ashwin,
    Long time Ashwin. But thanks a lot for your good wishes. The song from Karz is about two persons. I would look up the song cited by Dr Deshpande.

  9. Mr S Joseph,
    Thanks a lot for your greetings and good wishes. Gori chalo na hans ki chaal zamana dushman hai is a very good songs. Thanks a lot.

  11. Congratulations to AK Ji and all those who have contributed to make this a great storehouse of information on Hindi film music.
    Running a blogsite so well for 16 years is a Herculean task and AK Ji truly deserves all praise.
    Taking a cue from others who posted some songs on sweet 16…Solah Baras Ki Baali Umar Ko Salaam -Ek Duje Ke Liye-Lata & Anup Jalota-Laxmi-Pyare-Anand Bakshi
    Taking this oppostunity to remember Suman Kalyanpur , who passed away on 31st May .

  12. AK ji,

    Hearty Congratulations on completing 16 years of this “musical adda”. I just realized that Open House is still quite open. I need to start dropping in again.

    I was bit surprised to see Mukesh-Surinder Kaur duet in the main post. I don’t think its that obscure or rare though it is less heard.

    Sometime back, I had raised the issue of follow-up comments not appearing in the mailbox. Seems the feature may not appear in near future.

  13. Two more Solah Baras/ Solva Saal songs
    Solah baras ki bhai umariyai by Md. Rafi & Shamshad Begum, film: Aag (1948), lyrics Bezad Laqnavi, music Ram Ganguly; picturised on Mumtaz Ali and Nargis
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmFKv-mGtec

    Dekho ji mera haal badal gai chaal, dekho mohe laga solva saal by Sudha Malhotra, Md. Rafi & Asha Bhosle, film: Solva Saal (1958), lyrics Majrooh Sultanpuri, music S D Burman
    Picturised on Heera Sawant, Sheila Vaaz, Dev Anand & Waheeda Rehman
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyRds45b6Dw

  14. Anup,
    Thanks a lot for your greetings. It seems in all Indian cultures there was a notion of sweet sixteen. Our courts are struggling to nudge the government to bring out legislation for lowering the age of consent.

  15. Sivanandam ji,
    Thanks a lot for your praise. I am lucky that the blog has been blessed by readers since the beginning.

  16. Mahesh,
    Not everyone is a Mukesh expert! Is there any song of his you do not know? Thanks a lot for your greetings. I am aware of the issue of follow up comments. It has to do with some plug-ins no longer being compatible. Many of you are IT-experts. I am quite old school.

  17. Venkataraman ji,
    Thanks a lot for the two songs. I wish one could perpetually stay “sweet sixteen”.

  18. Ak ji
    Congratulations
    Sixteen is generally considered to be coming of age however SOY is an exception. It came of age right since it’s birth. It continues to marvel with outstanding articles on incredibly varied themes. The year was dominated by RDB and it would be fit to post RDB’s composition on sixteen. It is from the non-descript film titled Dushman released in the year 1990. Lackluster is the mildest word one can use for the song.
    Mera naam sweet sixteen – Asha and Amit Kumar – Indeevar
    https://youtu.be/9Fxm63L0OiA?si=G9T0tAd9u6a45HHf

  20. Mr Muli,
    Thanks a lot for your greetings and generous words. God has been very kind to me. This blog has been blessed by its readers. We have all gained from each other.

  26. Dr Deshpande @22,
    With husband it gives license for going the whole hog! The other day the TOI supplement carried a feature on self-sanctimonious South Indian film industry that perhaps they have gone overboard in showing a female body and “we also have some responsibility”. Really? What about A-listers who are not victims of oppression and they cannot complain of exploitation? Greed? I don’t know. But good song.

    @23,
    Liked it.

  29. Hullo to Songsofyore
    SOY sounds nice but reminds me of the sauce hence I shall stick to “songsofyore”
    Congratulations on completing 16years in Cyberworld.
    I don’t remember if I have ever visited this space, but Shri Arunkumar Deshmukhji has mentioned about your existence a number of times.
    Hope to be a regular here

  31. AK ji
    Congratulations on SoY’s completion of 16 years. All these years we had engrossing posts and lovely discussions among the readers.
    Best wishes for the coming years.
    Regards

  32. Peevesie’s Mom,
    Nice to welcome you on my turning sweet 16. Arunji has been quite kind to me, as always. Thanks a lot.

  35. Heartiest congratulations for a long, innovative and fruitful journey.

    It has been a privilege and pleasure to be part of the journey.

    May the journey continue unabated and keep enriching the the blog world of songs of Golden Era.

  36. Congratulations for completing a musical and rich journey of sixteen year. I am a frequent visitor to this site and enjoy every article, as well as get to add to my knowledge.Was going through the Best songs of year and found 1952 missing. Is it next in the series?

  37. Milind Keskar,
    Welcome to SOY and thanks a lot for your greetings. Good to know that you are a frequent visitor to the blog and found it interesting. In the Best songs of 1956 I have explained the gap years in the 1950s.

  38. AK ji,
    Heartiest congratulations on completing 16 fruitful years, delighting the music minded readers and contributing some vital information about songs.
    The Blog is on the Zenith of its Teens and it will be a long way ahead for your fans.
    I wish many more milestones to SOY.
    -AD

  39. AKji,

    A very very Happy, belated, 16th Birthday to SOY. The proud parent can, rightfully, take a bow for nurturing the teenager to this tender age, through interesting, creative and entertaining phases. May there be many more birthdays to come with each one bringing a year full of equally wonderful times. Congratulations.

  42. AKJi,

    Congrats. Running a blog for 16 long years is not a easy task. You are going great. Keep it up My good wishes to you and your team for entertaining old film songs music lovers.

  45. Ashok ji @35,
    I am extremely sorry that due to oversight, your greetings remained unacknowledged. Thanks a lot for your greetings and good wishes.

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